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Sarah Flood in Salem Mass at the Flea Theater

SARAH FLOOD IN SALEM MASS is now playing at the Flea Theater through October 26th. The story is a hodgepodge of sorts. The events take place right before the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. There is a village of people and the girls gather around a big tree to share food, talk and pray together. We meet their families, leaders of the village, and a new pastor. In addition, there are two girls from the future who come to “help”. Finally, there is a young man who owns lots of land and a girl whose rich father kills beavers to make a fortune, which upsets her.

Issues abound in this show. First off, there was not one character that I had an emotional connection to. For almost the entire show, I had no idea who Sarah was and when I found out, I wish it had been left a mystery. The cast spoke directly to the audience throughout. A choice I have never seen done and felt very odd. Dialogue should be cheating out so the audience can be let in but not completely turned away from your scene partner. The show was not believable. Seeing future people come with gloves that beeped with lights, speak in more present day language and supposedly attempt to help the people, was confusing. It just seemed like multiple shows were happening at once and being forced to meld together.

Goody Good played by Whitney Conkling stood out in the bunch. She reminded me of Helena Bonham Carter with her big, crazy hair and great acting. The hand gestures and motions throughout the show were very physical and one of the more interesting parts of the piece. Many times the cast moved together across the stage which showed uniformity.

Walking out, I had no idea what I saw and still don’t. Theater should make you think but should it make you utterly confused? To learn more about SARAH FLOOD check out: http://www.theflea.org/